Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

Early the next morning.

A cavalry unit of several dozen men emerged from Nanwuyang City.

There was also a light chariot in the cavalry formation.

Sitting in the carriage, Cao Cao was dressed in a black robe, wearing a breastplate, with a red cloak behind him, and his beard was neatly combed.

When they reached the edge of the Wushui River, which was under their control several miles outside the city, the dozens of riders stopped.

Cao Cao also stepped down from the carriage on a small stool.

The accompanying guards took the carpet off the horse, spread it out by the river, and placed the table they were carrying on the carpet as well.

Cao Ren and Dian Wei stood on either side of Cao Cao behind him, like two iron towers.

Shortly after everything was ready, another troop of elite cavalry galloped in from afar.

Cao Cao shaded his eyes with his hand and looked towards the front of the formation.

The person at the very front of the group was riding a white horse.

Upon closer inspection, the right ear is extremely large with a thick earlobe, while the left ear is completely empty.

"That one-eared one must be Liu Bei."

Cao Ren said in a strange tone, "Why didn't the Marquis of Ji cut off both of his ears back then?"

Cao Cao chuckled: "Zixiao, don't talk nonsense. If we hadn't been so far apart, Liu Bei wouldn't have lost his ear, he would have lost his head!"

This was the first time Cao Cao had met Liu Bei.

However, Cao Cao had naturally heard about Duan Yu's duel with the three brothers when they were in Ji Province.

"My lord, I have heard that the Marquis of Ji has a fierce general under his command who can suppress Liu Bei's two brothers."

"Ah, Dian Wei asked in a muffled voice from behind the bushes."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Ziyi has too many fierce generals under his command, but I know who you are talking about, Dian Wei."

Cao Cao stroked his beard.

Although Duan Yu had countless fierce generals under his command, the one with the strongest martial arts skills was undoubtedly Lü Bu.

“When Ziyi first arrived in Liangzhou to suppress the Qiang tribe, Benchu ​​and I went from Luoyang to help him. At that time, Ziyi entrusted all the cavalry to me to flank Yunwu from the rear.”

"That man's name was Lü Bu, courtesy name Fengxian, and he was a rescuer from Bingzhou."

"His mastery of the halberd was unparalleled; he could take the head of a general from among ten thousand soldiers as easily as taking something out of a bag."

"It is indeed very impressive."

"However, Dian Wei, you shouldn't underestimate yourself. You are in no way inferior to Lü Bu. It's just that Lü Bu is good at cavalry warfare, while you, Dian Wei, are not."

Dian Wei nodded to himself and made a mental note of it.

Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian.

"Back in Ji Province, Lü Bu once fought Liu Bei's two brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, one-on-one. Although he did not win, he was basically evenly matched. I have seen Lü Bu's abilities. Although I have not seen Liu Bei's two brothers with my own eyes, it is enough to show how powerful they are."

Cao Cao was speaking at the time.

Liu Bei, along with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and dozens of his personal guards and cavalry, had arrived before Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, who was sitting on the ground, got up and greeted Liu Bei with a smile.

"Haha, Brother Xuande," Cao Cao laughed and cupped his hands, saying, "I have long admired your name, and seeing you today, it is indeed true that you live up to your reputation."

Liu Bei, who had just dismounted from his horse, froze instantly.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, who were standing to the side, also changed their expressions.

What do you mean by "I've long admired your name"?

They had no prior connection, let alone had heard of each other before.

If there's any connection, it's that Duan Yu was their enemy, while Cao Cao was Duan Yu's friend.

As for hearing about them, Cao Cao could only hear their names from Duan Yu.

Is this a sarcastic remark directed at the three brothers?

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Liu Bei's eyes before he returned to normal.

"Master Cao."

Liu Bei cupped his hands in greeting to Cao Cao and said, "I have long admired Lord Cao's name. It is an honor to meet you today."

"Haha, Brother Xuande, please have a seat."

Cao Cao gestured for him to enter.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, each with one hand on the hilt of their swords, stood behind Liu Bei.

The two men took their seats one after the other, each with two generals standing behind them.

With two short halberds stuck in his back, Dian Wei scanned Zhang Fei and Guan Yu with his yellowish tiger eyes.

Zhang Fei, however, showed no weakness, glaring fiercely at Dian Wei and Cao Ren.

Guan Yu squinted his phoenix eyes and gently stroked his beautiful beard.

"I wonder why Lord Cao has invited me here today?" Liu Bei asked Cao Cao knowingly after taking his seat.

Cao Cao lowered his head to pour himself some wine. After hearing Liu Bei's words, he slowly raised his head and said with a smile, "I heard that Brother Xuande has set out with his troops from Linyi to march north, so I rushed here as fast as I could."

"I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to ask, Brother Xuande, what brings you here with your troops?"

Liu Bei smiled slightly and looked at Cao Cao, succinctly saying four words: "By imperial decree, I will quell the bandits."

A gentle breeze swept by, and the waters of the Wu River surged and splashed against the rocks on both banks.

The branches on both sides of the embankment, which had just sprouted green buds, swayed gently in the wind.

"Ordered to suppress the bandits?"

Cao Ren, standing behind Cao Cao, raised an eyebrow and said, "This is Taishan Commandery, the territory of Yanzhou. It's not your place to suppress bandits here!"

Cao Cao did not speak or interrupt Cao Ren, but instead picked up his wine cup and took a sip.

Liu Bei looked at Cao Ren and said with a smile, "General, you are mistaken. In the fight against bandits, what distinction is there between you and me?"

"We are all just serving the imperial court."

"Bei was ordered to suppress the bandits. The emperor ordered the clearing out of the Yellow Turban rebels, but there was never any mention of not being allowed to cross the border to suppress the bandits."

"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen, let alone us, who are officials appointed by the imperial court."

"If Lord Cao feels that our actions are problematic, he can certainly submit a memorial to the imperial court, can't he?"

"Furthermore, even though this is Taishan County, our troops' campaign to suppress bandits and quell rebellions is still a help to Lord Cao, isn't it?"

Liu Bei's tone was extremely calm.

Cao Cao's expression remained unchanged.

Cao Cao only spoke slowly after Liu Bei had finished speaking.

"Judging from what you're saying, Brother Xuande, you're determined to eliminate this thief, aren't you?"

"Indeed." Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, "For the sake of peace in the world and for the people to live and work in peace, I am willing to contribute my meager strength to the Han Dynasty and to the common people."

"Ha ha!"

"Okay!"

Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter and said, "So, it seems that this scoundrel, Brother Xuande, must be eliminated?"

The two gazed at each other from two meters apart, one calm, the other composed.

Liu Bei smiled and nodded: "Now that I have come this far, there is absolutely no reason for me to give up halfway. Doesn't Lord Cao agree?"

"If Lord Cao believes that Bei is here to claim credit, then Lord Cao can rest assured."

"As a member of the Han imperial family, I only wish to bring peace to the country and its people."

"As for the credit, I will naturally not write to the court to compete with Lord Cao for the credit."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes.

What a fine member of the Han imperial family, what a fine country and its people, what a fine common people.

These words of benevolence and righteousness will likely be passed down in the future, and the world will say that Liu Bei was a man of great benevolence and righteousness, with the world in his heart.

But who doesn't know what merits really mean?

Only what you truly hold in your hand is real.

Cao Cao could still hear Yang Xu's words from yesterday.

If he openly obstructed Liu Bei, he would certainly be accused of harboring bandits to enhance his own power, or of colluding with traitors.

If things go wrong, the imperial court might issue a decree reprimanding them.

But it's clear that Liu Bei doesn't want to back down now.

Cao Cao took a deep breath, then slowly stood up and said to Liu Bei, "Lord Liu, your concern for the world is truly a blessing for the Han Dynasty."

"In that case, let's each rely on our own abilities."

Liu Bei also stood up and saw Cao Cao off.

"Lord Cao, please wait."

Liu Bei bowed with his hands clasped.

Cao Cao, having boarded his carriage, turned around and squinted at Liu Bei behind him.

Cao Ren and Dian Wei followed closely behind.

The group headed back towards Nanwuyang City.

Liu Bei stood still, watching Cao Cao's army gradually disappear into the distance.

“Brother, Cao Cao will definitely do something bad in secret. He doesn’t seem like a good person.”

Zhang Fei, standing beside Liu Bei, said, "He and Duan Yu are cut from the same cloth!"

As Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard, he nodded and said, "Brother, what Third Brother said is right. Cao Cao knows that you are determined to suppress the bandits, so he will definitely do something bad in secret. You need to be careful."

Liu Bei slowly shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Xianhe has a good plan."

...........

Riding on horseback beside Cao Cao, Cao Ren muttered angrily, "This one-eared thief spouts all sorts of benevolence and morality, but all he wants is to divide up these million refugees. He speaks so righteously."

Cao Cao's face was grave and dark.

Cao Ren is right.

Although Liu Bei spoke with lofty ideals, claiming it was for the sake of the country and the people, his true intentions were clear.

But knowing it is one thing, having no solution is another.

To obstruct Liu Bei would be tantamount to destroying the country and its people.

Liu Bei had positioned himself at the highest point, erecting two shields in front of him for the sake of the Han Dynasty and the world.

This left him with no way to make a move.

To be able to apply benevolence and righteousness to this extent, Liu Bei was no ordinary person.

Liu Bei's reputation and conduct among the people of Langya have always been consistent; otherwise, he wouldn't be praised by them.

"Brother, why waste so much time talking to them? We should have just taken action."

Cao Cao slowly shook his head.

Let's not even talk about whether we could have defeated Liu Bei just now.

Liu Bei was an official appointed by the imperial court; how could he be killed so casually as if he were a bandit?

Just as Cao Cao was pondering how to deal with Liu Bei, a fast horse galloped from the direction of Nanwuyang County towards Cao Cao.

Cao Cao only realized that the person who came was Cao Hong when he got close.

"Big brother, big brother, great news!"

Cao Hong waved his arms and shouted excitedly at Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was stunned.

good news.

What good news!

"Brother, Zhang Rao, the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, just sent someone to say that he wants to surrender."

Ok?

"Stop the car!" Cao Cao suddenly waved his hand.

Then, facing Cao Hong, he stood up from the carriage, gripped the armrests on both sides, and stared wide-eyed, asking, "What did you just say?"

"Brother, just now Zhang Rao, the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, sent someone to say that he wants to surrender."

"Where are the people?"

Cao Hong pointed to the town of Nanwuyang behind him and said, "The people are still waiting for you inside the town, brother!"

"quick!"

"Get back to the city quickly! Get back to the city right now!"

Cao Cao excitedly patted the armrest of his carriage and pointed to Nanwuyang County.

P.S.: I've been reading book reviews these past few days and I've noticed that many people aren't familiar with certain characters. So, I've decided to address the character profiles in the author's notes section of each chapter.

There are many key figures who, although not very famous, hold extremely important positions.

For example, Wei Zi, who appeared earlier, was the one who paid Cao Cao to recruit soldiers when Cao Cao first raised an army to attack Dong Zhuo. Unfortunately, he died during the first campaign against Dong Zhuo.

To help you better understand these characters, the author will dedicate a separate section to this post.